Introduction

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM was introduced back in June 1993. Price-wise it sits in-between the extremely
expensive EF 50mm f/1.2 USM L and the "cheap" EF 50mm f/1.8 II. There have
been calls in forums out there that the lens is outdated by now (e.g. due to the non-circular aperture)
but so far Canon had different priorities. However, the lens has received excellent scores in our APS-C
test so the situation doesn't seem to be desperate anyway. However, let's have a look whether it can convince
us on a full format body as well.

The overall build quality is very decent with a metal mount and an outer barrel made of good quality plastics.
Manual focusing feels quite smooth albeit not damped. The broad, rubberized control ring is certainly a plus
compared to the tiny focus ring on the EF 50mm f/1.8 II. The inner lens tube extends slightly (~1cm max) when
focusing towards closer distances.

The lens is a little unusual in the global Canon lens context - it features a micro-USM AF drive
including full-time manual (FTM) override in AF mode. This is a quite
unique combination because FTM is usually available on Canon's ring-type USM drives only.
The AF operation is fast and silent but slightly inferior compared to e.g. the 85mm f/1.8 USM.